o sich
fool as to do business fer other folks an' lose time by it. I took out a
commission, an' I had a right to, an' I don't want to hear no more about
it. A commission's fair."

"You didn't say anything about it," said poor Miss Sally. "Mrs. Smith
was just surprised to learn of it."

"Surprised, my dear?" said Mrs. Smith, "No, indeed. Nothing that man
would do could quite surprise me. But forty percent commission! Miss
Sally hasn't sixty dollars in the house," she added, turning to the
butcher. "You know very well people here don't have so much in the house
at one time. If I had it I would gladly lend it to her, but I don't
happen to have so much with me to-day. You can wait until Mr. Briggs
gets back from Clarence, or you can do what you please."

"I want the money," said Skinner doggedly.

"Very well," said Mrs. Smith. "Collect forty from the Colonel. That will
keep you from starving until to-morrow. And now will you both kindly
leave the house?"

"Now, look here, Mrs. Smith, ma'm," said the butcher. "You ain't got any
right to talk that way to me. Money matters is money matters, and a man
has a right to look after his own the best way he can. I was cheated
out of one hundred dollars by this man and Miss Sally, as easy as you
please, and there's bribery in it, and land knows what. But I ain't
mean. All I want is my money back, and I want it now. I hear T. J. Jones
is going to get out an extry to-morrow morning all about this, and all
I want is to do what is right. Hand me back my hundred dollars, and I'll
go to T. J. and explain that Miss Sally did what was right, and tell him
to leave her out of what he writes, but if I don't get the money I won't
say a word to him. He can guess all he wants about Miss Sally and the
Colonel being in cahoots with this bribe business. All I want is my
money."

"But I say you shall have it in the morning."

"Well, I don't count much on what you'll get out of Pap Briggs. You
might get ten cents, if he was feeling liberal, but he don't usually
feel that way. What I want is one hundred dollars right now. I don't
need no lung-testers, and I've been cheated, and I won't wait. If Miss
Sally ain't going to pay me, I'll see what the law says about it."

"Mr. Skinner," said Mrs. Smith, "in consideration that Miss Sally is a
lady and that you are a gentleman, will you not wait till to-morrow?"

"Business is business," he said flatly. "When I'm sellin' meat I ain't a
gentleman, I'm a